BIOTECH & ART
Life is full of imperfection. So many aspects of the world are flawed, but that allows for creativity. Life as we know it can be used as a canvas for us humans to create masterpieces the way we feel fit. Biotechnology, the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, is one of the major ways human beings can alter flaws or imperfections.
Stem cell reproduction is a product of biotechnology and is continuing to grow here in the United States. Stem cell reproduction basically can be described as using embryonic cells of an organism to grow new cells. An example of stem cell reproduction is how scientists can help treat burn victims by using stem cells to recreate a biologically engineered skin.
The reason I bring up the example of the burn victim is because not only is it a massive biotechnical advancement to be able to create skin from embryonic cells, but it is also an art form. To be able to give the human body a new "canvas," so to speak, Is simply amazing. The human body can be pierced and tattooed in order to give mean or become visually appealing, and for scientists to be able to biologically create new skin for people in dyer need, presents a new opportunity.
WORKS CITED
Gallego, Alexander. "What Is Biotechnology?" What Is Biotechnology?Biotech Industry, Apr. 2004. Web. 11 May 2015.
Linganos, Gabriella. "Stem Cells Could Create New Skin to Help Burns Victims." - Stemaid™ : Embryonic Stem-cells. Stem Aid, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 May 2015.
Serven, James. "'Tattoo-Fairy' Gives Hope To Burn Victims [VIDEO]." Medical Daily. =, 16 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Tagman, Stephanie. "What Is Bioengineering?" UC Berkeley Department of Bioengineering. California Berkley, 2 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 May 2015.
Williamson, Scott. "Stem Cell Uses." Stem Cell Basics: Introduction [Stem Cell Information]. National Institute of Health, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 May 2015.
I liked your emphasis on creating biologically engineered skin by stem cells. I think this is one of the few ways that biotechnology has helped humans, because we are producing something for a living human to gain normalcy. Giving a human a "new canvas" ( espeically if their canvas was taken away by fire, an accident, etc.) is an amazing thing. On the other hand, biotechnology has the potential to create a human from scratch; I believe that this is the wrong way to use biotechnology. Our culture needs to create ethical guidelines to monitor what is ok and what is not.
ReplyDeleteTy I enjoyed your blog and relating biotech to real life examples and how they benefit our society. I enjoyed how you brought up burnt victims that without biotech wouldn't be able to benefit their skin and improve their life. People don't always understand all biotech does and you did a good job of portraying the importance of it.
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